Kim Possible - Shadowside
by ArielFetters
Summary: Kim Possible learns she's not who and what she thought she was, that she's in love with her worst enemy, and has the mother in law from hell. There's nothing normal in this sich and Kim has to make it work or more than her own life will be destroyed in the chaos to come. Rated M for language and mature situations.
1. Chapter 1

Kim Possible

Kim Possible, Shego, and related characters/locations belong to Walt Disney Studios. Kim Possible created by Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley. I make no claim over the Kim Possible series or anything in it and get no compensation for these stories. Original characters belong to me, not to be used without my express consent. Warning, story contains adult language and situations. If under 18 (For maturity reasons, there's more to 'adult' than bed games contrary to popular belief) please consider reading something else.

Original Story by ArielFetters

Chapter 1

Kim walked into Dr. Director's office and set the manilla envelope with her report in it on her desk, saluted tiredly, and said "I stopped Gemini's latest plot."

"I noticed." was the dry reply. "Summary please."

"He was going to steal a suitcase nuke to extort money from some of the biggest opium growing syndicates in the middle east. A flat 10% off the top or he'd nuke them."

"And incidentally start world war three. I knew that idiot would go too far someday, but I never thought he'd sink this low. Well, getting nukes involved elevates his threat level so he's not our problem anymore, gods help him."

At Kim's confused expression Bety sighed. "Look Kim. Yes, he's been the #1 threat I've faced my entire career. He's tried to kill me more than a few tmes, and yes he's a danger to everything I hold dear. Despite all that, he's still my brother. I want him where he can get help, or at least not hurt anyone, himself included. I don't want him dead and I don't want someone to put a bullet through his brainpan while he's having lunch."

"Ah. I wondered why he was still alive after some of the stuff he's pulled."

"You think I'd kill him?"

"I think, if you didn't have a choice, you'd feel the need to pull the trigger yourself. Not for vengeance, more like it's a family thing. Forget it, I haven't been sleeping real well lately. When the adrenaline wears off I start rambling."

"How long? Reports say you've had grocery bags under your eyes for weeks."

"Honestly, I haven't got any idea. Ask Wade, he could probably tell you ten times more than I can."

"I'd hoped to find out from you. Nightmares I take it?"

"Yeah. I dunno what, but when I wake up, I feel like I'd be better off dead. Lonliness, despair, sheer terror. It's a phase or something, I'll get through it."

Dr. Director nodded, clearly unimpressed with her explanation. "We all have times when life tries to put us down. The key is knowing when to get help and knowing who can help. Keep that in mind agent Possible."

"Kim saluted and said "Aye ma'am." Then left. Betty watched her go, and once the door closed behind her, she poked a button on the old-fashioned intercom on her desk. "Agent Keighan, escort agent Possible home and slip her a mickey once she's on the plane. Also, tell the pilot to use the Veir, not the usual transport. Agent possible needs to get some sleep and I need you to keep an eye open for anything that'll tell us what's got that young woman on the ropes."

"Consider it done ma'am."

* * *

9 hours later

Agent Keighan watched as Kim jerked awake, the plane's landing gear barely bumping the runway as it touched down. The young redhead was sweating like a pig, and looked like she was staring the end of the world in the face with the timer down to the single digits.

"Hey kid, you okay?"

After a few minutes Kim sat up and nodded. "Yeah, fine."

"Kid, you are the worst liar that ever walked this earth. You're putting yourself through hell for some reason, and it's killing you by degrees. How long since you slept last?"

"Just now." Kim said with an annoyed look.

Keighan Snorted. "Right. Take it from someone who's been to hell and back. If you don't face your demons...they eat at you, bit by bit until there's nothing left _but_ demons. Find someone you trust and talk to 'em or things'll only get worse.."

They got to the hangar and she offered Kim a hand up. "Good luck." Kim nodded silently and left, heading to that odd car of hers. Once Kim was gone she pulled out her phone, flipped it open, and said "It's worse than you thought ma'am. A lot worse."

* * *

Kim dragged herself through school the next day, focusing on the fact there were 3 more weeks until graduation. 3 more weeks and she'd be free and clear to live her life.

_Not, _she mentally groused _That it's much of a life at the moment. _

She shook her head, then spotted Bonnie heading towards her with that malicious little grin she always got when she'd come up with some new comment. Ever since the alien invasion, Bonnie'd been worse than ever. Between needing to re-take 3 months of classes thanks to school records being lost, 5 weeks of waiting for the school to be rebuilt so they could re-take those classes, and seeing Kim save the world on live TV with her ex boyfriend and 2 'freaks', Bonnie had been so vicious even her long time friends were avoiding her.

When Bonnie opened her mouth to spew whatever she'd been going to say, Kim shot her a look threatening great bodily harm and growled "Look you hypocritical, pompous, self centered bitch. I'm not in the mood to deal with no talent hacks so full of shit their hair's brown! Back off or get backed off."

The entire hallway went silent and stared as she stormed past her stupified enemy and she breezed into history class. History finals were tomorrow and if she was going to maintain her 4.0 GPA she couldn't afford to slack off at the last second.

History class was useless, just another test they'd already taken a dozen times. The last class of the day, math, was even more pointless. Finals for that had been 3 days ago and even the teacher was taking it easy. Finally, the end of school bell rang and she headed out to her car, then stopped as as she spotted the female agent from yesterday leaning against the Roth.

"Ms. Possible, I'm here to take you to the boss, she wants to talk to you."

She blinked, mentally recovering after a moment, then said "Okay. Anything you can talk about in public?"

The lady agent turned to look at her and said simply "Your sleeping issues."

"Wonderful. Well, hop in."

"You think I'm letting you drive in your condition?"

"Doy, it can drive itself. I'm not a complete idiot."

Keighan chuckled while getting in and said "Sorry, not used to cars that drive themselves."

* * *

Kim walked into Dr. Director's office and saluted. "Reporting as ordered ma'am."

"Have a seat. Keighan, close as you leave and post guard on my door, no interruptions."

"Aye ma'am."

When the door klunked closed Kim said "Agent Keighan said this was something about my sleeping problem. You figured out what it is?"

"I have, and right now only two people know why. Myself and Keighan, who is, among her many talents, very good at reading people. While you got some much needed sleep, she kept a watch on you. What she heard and saw...well, I think you need to see this for yourself."

The Global Justice head motioned to a wall and a video display appeared, covering it almost entirely in the tormented sleeping visage of one soon to be highschool graduate.

"Oh god, I had no idea..."

"Kim, you're one of my best people. Hell, you're one of the best agents in history, but you have one glaring, fatal flaw. You don't think about yourself. As far as I can tell, you think about what other people think about you, but I don't think you've ever just sat down and asked yourself who you are, what you want in life, and why."

Kim opened her mouth to protest, then clamped it shut when she realized Dr. Director was right.

The older woman smiled and said "If it's any consolation, I was the same way when I was your age. So busy _doing_ I never stopped to ask what I was doing or why I was doing it. It wasn't until the wool was yanked from my eyes that I realized I needed to ask those very questions."

"That's when you lost your eye?"

Betty blinked, then nodded. "It is, and don't ask for details. There's things in this world Kim, things so far past anything you've run across before you might just run screaming and hide under your bed."

"Like Keighan?"

Betty blinked again, then sighed. "What do you think you saw?"

"She was looking right at the sun, no sunglasses, no squinting, no flinching. And the shadows..."

The older woman sighed. "I can't tell you much about Keighan, only that she's the poster child for giving people second chances. Right now though you have bigger problems. Watch, and most especially listen."

Kim looked back to the wall display, and watched for several minutes as she all but writhed on the jet's couch, then started moaning incoherently. A pitiful wretched sound that made her sick. Suddenly, on the video her body jerked, then fell still. Tears started coursing from her face as her expression somehow became even more tormented.

"Shego, please, I don't want to fight! I can't live without you, can't you see that? Stop hurting me! Don't make me do this, please! Why can't you see me? No!"

The video paused and Kim just stared at it, unsure of what to do or even think. After a few minutes of watching Kim flounder for something, Betty said "What I'm about to tell you isn't classified, but it is a closely guarded secret."

Kim looked at her, still obviously struggling to stay coherent, and she said "No one talks about why team Go broke up, and for some very good reasons. Back when Shego was active with them she was their tactics and strategy guru. 17 years old, and she was already one of the best. It's one reason, among many, we wanted to recruit her."

Betty grimaced. "Back then I was just a senior agent. Team Go was going to be my stepping stone to the big leagues and I was going to make them the best in the world. Between my mentoring, Shego's raw talent, and the rest of the group's sheer versatility, they were on their way to becoming just that too."

"Back then Shego had a girlfriend. Alia Mendler, whom she was unerringly devoted to. Very few times in my life have I seen people that deeply in love. One day I sent Shego and her group on their first real Global Justice mission. The mission went flawlessly, and Shego used her pay from the job to head to a jewelry store."

Kim realized what had to have happened and felt like throwing up. "She was killed, wasn't she?"

"Yes, she was. There'd been a security leak and when Shego went to her house to propose, all she found was flaming wreckage and bodies. Shego blamed me and left. Left her family, left GJ, and left everything of the young heroine I'd known behind. As best I can tell she's blocked that entire section of her life off to the point she can't remember most of it. She hasn't had a non-professional relationship since then. No dates, no hook-ups, nothing."

Kim looked down and felt tears on her face cascading from her chin. "How do I compete with a ghost?"

"You don't Kim. What you can do is show her she's got more than memories to love."

"You make it sound like you want me to date...I can't believe this. It's so..."

"The Drama?"

"Yeah."

"Well, unfortunately there's more. After the Lowardian invasion, and her pardon, she's dropped off the map. Lipsky's working for DARPA now, so she's a free agent. That means she can be hired, _if_ you can convince her to work for me."

"She hates..." Kim looked down and Betty chuckled, causing her to look up furiously. "Kim, she doesn't hate you. If she did she wouldn't flirt with you when you two fight. She wouldn't save your life, which we both know she's done half a dozen times."

"But..."

"Trust me Kim, I know exactly the level of damage she's capable of if she hates someone. No, deep down in that messed up head of hers she loves you too. So, to be blunt, I'm hoping to, figuratively, kill a dozen or so birds with one stone."

"What can I do?"

"First I need to know if Ron's still a factor. I know about his monkey master powers and Hana, and I know about Yamanouchi. He's in training?"

"Yeah. Barely said goodbye before he left."

"Well, since you're not publicly affiliated with Global Justice yet, here's what I'm hoping. I want to..."

The door burst open and Will Du barged in, 6 MP's outside the door leveling rifles at Keighan, who looked about as impressed as if she were looking at 6 toddlers with lollipops.

"Dr. Director, we just got an alpha-one..."

"Get OUT!" He stumbled and fell with a strangled scream as Kim stormed to her feet, spun, picked him up off the floor with one hand, and snarled in his face. Her hand, Betty noticed, was wreathed in a flickering dark, almost black flame. She was also suddenly bigger, almost amazonian in her physique, and from the clawed grip she had on Du's throat, not entirely in control of herself.

Betty grimaced. She'd wondered if Kim might wind up mutated from all the things she'd been through. Apparently she would, and had. Her day just kept getting better and better.

There was a clattering noise then Keighan walked over to Kim and lay a hand on her shoulder. She didn't say anything, just looked Kim in the eyes and shook her head slowly. After a moment Kim calmed down slightly and dropped him, then walked off, clearly still wanting to beat someone, anyone, to a smear on the floor.

Betty looked at Will Du coldly and said. "Agent Du, you are under arrest for violating a secured facility, casual disregard for the safety and well being of both your fellow agents, and the world you swore an oath to protect. For inflicting serious mental and emotional injury to a fellow agent, and for pissing me the fuck off. By all rights I could, and probably should, put what little brains you have on the wall, but right now I haven't got the time to waste on you. Guards, take the prisoner to Omega holding and put him in the cell next to Motor Ed until further notice. Make sure Ed knows he'll earn brownie points with me if he tells Mr. Du here all about mullets."

The MP's retrieved their guns, glared at Keirghan, then dragged Du off at gunpoint, ignoring his frentic pleas to let him go, he'd just been doing his job.

"You saw?"

"Yeah, the kid's got some talents I don't think anyone's realized she had. She also just handed you the perfect cover for gettting Shego involved."

"That's what I was thinking. Remember Polyana's Problemsolvers?"

"Can I remember it? More like how can I forget it." Keighan deadpanned. Betty snorted and said "Well, prepare for some flashbacks."

Keirghan sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that."

Kim walked into the hotel and looked around. Normally she'd take a few moments to appreciate the view, but instead she headed right to the recpetion desk and showed her ID while saying "Kimber Jade, I have a reservation."

The receptionist, a pretty asian lady in a snappy skirt suit, looked her ID over, looked at a security screen, then smiled and said "Room 2212. Here's your room key and those elevators there will take you to your room. It'll be to your right, with a view of the ocean as you requested."

"Excellent, thank you."

She took the offered key card, then headed to her room and sat down on the bed, then looked up as someone knocked. She pulled out her cellphone and did a quick termal scan, then opened the door and smiled as professionally as she could manage. "Come in."

Shego eyed her cautiously, then said "What's up princess? You look like you've got the cramps from hell and last I knew, you were looking to go pro. Not to mention you were 5 inches shorter and a couple cup sizes smaller."

"There've been some...developments. Come in, this is gonna take some explaining and even you're gonna find this weird. I know I do."

Shego snorted and walked in. "Right, like alien invaders and the buffoon single handedly saving the world wasn't weird enough. You okay? You seem, well, wrecked."

Kim flinched. After a moment she said quietly "More like shattered."

Shego shrugged, then sat down at the bar and poured herself a glass of wine. "So, like you say, what's the sich?"

"I need your help."

"More like Betty needs my help. Sadistic bitch sends you after me to...Ooookay when the hell did you start doing that." She said, watching as Kim held up a hand and flickers of dark flame swirled around it for a moment then faded.

"About the same time as I had the growth spurt and nearly killed someone back at GJ headquarters."

"OOOOOh, Kimmie's got a dark side. Feel free to share."

"I've been having...issues. Nightmares, stuff like that. I'd go days without sleeping just so I wouldn't have to dream."

Shego winced. "PTSD? Damn, that's harsh."

"It's not PTSD. It's...worse. Look, I don't wanna talk about that right now okay? I'd been in Betty's office discussing why I was having the goddamn dreams when a former agent busted in while I was an emotional wreck."

"Yeah, Betty's good at wrecking people's lives. I know that one waaay too well."

"Do you? Do you even remember what she did?"

"And what would you know about it Kimmie?"

"Betty told me. She told me everything. She told me about Alia."

Shego froze, then glared at her. "So now what? You think you know me? Think you know what I've been throgh?"

Kim shook her head. "No. That'd be like reading about Pompeii then claiming I'd know what it'd be like to be there when it was wiped off the map. I'd never insult you claiming I know what it's like to be you."

Shego huffed and nodded, but didn't leave. "Okay, so she told you about the one person in my life that made it livable. She tell you how Alia was killed? Why?"

"Yes."

"And did she tell you what I did after?"

"Yes, and I don't care."

That caught Shego off guard. "Excuse me? I killed..."

"You killed evil men who took someone from you that can't ever be replaced, and shouldn't ever be forgotten. If I was in your place, I don't know what I would've done. I do know that if someone killed...the person I love, I'd lose it."

Shego grunted noncomittaly and said "Okay, so maybe you're just little miss understanding today. Lemme guess, you wanna know how to control your new abilities."

"That's part of it. The biggest part as far as I'm concerned, but there's more. You're right, Betty is involved."

"I fucking knew it! I'm outta here."

Kim stood in front of her, blocking her path. "Shego, I will _never_ let Betty hurt you again. If she ever tries to get to you, she's gotta go through me first."

"Yeah right, like little miss poster shild for citizen of the millenium's gonna protect an ex-con from a cop."

Kim just looked her in the eyes. "I've never lied to you Shego. Not once. You know me, and you know that when I make a promise, I keep it. Period. I am promising you I'll never let Betty hurt you again."

Shego looked at her for a moment, then grimaced. "Details. All of 'em, now, or I walk and you'd better hope I never see you again."

"Well, it turns out I'm not as average as we all thought."

"Gee, really? Wow, never would've guessed."

"I'm apparently...magic."

"Magic? Oh c'mon! Are you going to tell me..."

"That 3 meter tall space aliens would get punched clear into low orbit by a teenaged boy using magic monkey powers while a moron saves the world with flowers and tentacles?"

Shego fell silent, then snorted. "Okay, you've got me there. Details."

Kim sighed and sat down on the side of the bed. "I'll tell you what I know, but I don't know a lot. What do you know about European mythology? Norse, Grecian, and so on?"

"Not much, never was into hoodoo and mumbo jumbo."

"Me either, but apparently it was into me." she deadpanned.

Shego grinned. "Oh that's just begging for so many comments."

Kim glared at her for a moment, then said "The layman's version, which is what I know, is that I'm some kind of supernatural hybrid. What with I have no idea, but if I'm shooing black flames from my fingers it can't be good."

"Hey, whatever distant ancestors you may or may not have, whatever your powers might be, you're not evil Kim. A huge pain in the ass sure, but you're not evil. So, on topic, how the hell am I supposed to train you to control juju flames?"

"The expert on the subject says that powers are powers. Doesn't matter how you get 'em or where you get em from, they all follow the same general rules. So my...fuel source might be different, but how I use it's the same. Supposedly."

"Okay, that makes an odd kind of sense. Electric motor, gas engine, hybrid, bombing down a hill in a go-cart. You still work the pedals and spin the wheel."

"Yeah."

"Kim, are you even sure you should be out and about? You seriously look wrecked."

"Doy! A week ago I was little miss normal. Now I'm some kind of Amazonian pinup with flames for fingernail polish and I find out..." Kim clamped her mouth shut and Shego said "No secrets Kim. You hold out on me and I walk. You're lucky I'm even still here considering Betty's involved."

"I know, I just...I figured out what I want in life and for the first time in ever, I'm too scared to try."

"Still not hearing any details."

Kim grimaced, stood up, walked over to Shego, and looked her right in the eyes. Shego watched warily, unsure of what was gong on other than the fact Kim really was truly terrified. She was shaking like a leaf and looked ready to jump out the window. Then she jerked back, bumping the wall as Kim grabbed her shoulders and kissed her.

She stood there, stupified into inaction by the raw emotion of it, and watched, too stunned to move for a moment, as Kim backed off a step and smile tightly at her. A smile devoid of joy or hope, the kind of smile you'd plaster on your face to keep from crying.

Anger turned Shego's vision red and she didn't think, just react. Feral rage erupted in a flurry of kicks, punches, blasts of fire and avalanches of hate. Not once did Kim even try to shield herself or fight back. She stood for as long as she could, and when she couldn't she just lay there, Shego's attack having already done more damage than any punch or kick could hope to.

As she was winding up for another kick, someone knocked her to the floor with a leg trip maneuver. She rolled with it then back up to her feet in one smooth motion, spinning to face her new attacker. When she saw who it was, she froze. "Momma?"

"You don't get to call me momma 'till you start acting like my little Glitterbug."

Shego stared, then snarled and assumed a guard stance, hands lighting up and face contorting in rage. "What are you? Clone? Ghost? A bad actress in good makeup?"

"If I was a clone, I wouldn't know how you met Alia. If I was a ghost I couldn't touch you. If I was a bad acress in good makeup, as you put it, I woudn't be strong enough to keep you from killing your princess."

"Oh yeah? And how'd I meet Alia uh? Feel free to make with the details."

"We'd all gone to the park for your 14th birthday. Your father was setting up the grill, I was trying to keep the boys from wrecking everything, and you wandered off. You spotted her, sitting by herself on the lakeside watching birds. She was the most beautiful creature you'd ever seen, and you all but dragged her back with you so she wouldn't be alone."

The flame around Shego's hands died a her mother finished the story, saying "When I saw you with her, I turned to your father and said you'd found your happy thought."

Shego started crying and asked how she was alive. The woman sighed. "That's a very long story and has a few things to do with Ms. Possible. The short non mumbo-jumbo version is that due to things I'd done in life before meeting your father, I didn't go to a good place when I died. But as I was dying I saw what you could, and have, become, so I started fighting. Eventually I fought my way back to the lands of the living."

"Then why...?!"

"Part of the deal I had to make. I couldn't interfere in your life, at all, unless you were about to make the kind of mistakes that send you bad places when you die. Now move aside, I need to treat Kim's injuries before she's past saving."

Shego watched, dumfounded, as her mother rushed to Kim's side and knelt, then started diagnosing and treating her injuries. Now that the rage was fading, she could see the physical damage she'd done and winced. She'd seen people in better shape after a 6 week stint in a middle eastern prison.

In short order, Kim was stripped to her underwear and Shego, realizing she really had been about to cross a line she'd sworn never to cross, started helping. Nearly an hour later they carefully set Kim on the room's bed and grabbed drinks from the bar.

Shego's mother looked at her daughter and sighed. "This is not how I'd hoped we'd meet again."

"Momma, please, I need you to tell me what's going on! Kim called out of nowhere on a number I would've sworn only a handful of people knew about and offers me a job. I get here, she's shooting flame from her fingers and looks like a pinup for Amazon Queen monthly or something, and she swears she'll protect me from the Harpy. Then she kissed me! I haven't touched anyone since Alia, and suddenly she's..."

Her mother sighed. "I know. I'll tell you what little I know. Kim's a hybrid. What with I'm not sure, though I'm fairly certain one part is, as you said, pure blooded Amazon."

Keighan sighed. "Kim hasn't gotten a good night's sleep in nearly a year. Deep down she was realizing how she felt about you and couldn't admit it to herself, you, or anyone else. Not that people didn't have their suspicious. When you two fought you smiled, laughed, flirted. Anyone with eyes knew you two were already in a relationship, you just didn't want to admit it."

At Shego's protest she said "Glitterbug, you're so blind I should give you a cane and a dog. Think for a moment. You know her. You know her better than anyone else in the world, including the Yamanouchi's next Oyabun. Do you honestly think she'd take well to realizing she's not quite so normal as everyone else? That she's gay and in love with you? That suddenly she knows there's more to the world around us than malls, cars, bad food, and fake news?"

Shego grimaced. "No."

"Exactly. And to top it all off, she learned all that in less than 30 minutes. Half an hour and everything she thought knew was suddenly void. That kind of paradigm shift can drive even the best of us insane, and all she did was lose sleep and cry. Not for herself either, she cried for you. Your past hurt her more than her present."

"That still doesn't excuse what she did!"

"Shego, as much as people forget, she's a teenager. She just turned 18 a few weeks ago and I don't care who, what, or when, no 18 year old's going to handle the things she's been through recently like a normal adult. But what she did do right was decide the woman she loves, you, is more important to her than anything else in the universe."

"Right, like some kid's gonna know what relationships are about." Shego groused.

Her mother sighed. "When she promised she'd protect you from Betty if she had to? She meant it. If she saw a squad of GJ soldiers about to unload a few dozen machineguns into your back, she'd throw herself in the way of the bullets. If something made you sad, it'd be her number one priority in life to make you smile. She'd give her last everything to make sure you had something. I've seen people married 80 years who weren't half that devoted, and that's why the biggest problem right now isn't her physical injuries."

"You think she'll have nightmares or something?"

"No baby, I'm afraid you killed her. I think the young woman who can do anything was just betrayed and beaten to death by the one person in the world she'd never lift a finger against."

At Shego's dubious look she sighed. "If you could see what I could see, you'd know what..."

They both looked to the door as it was blasted off it's hinges and SWAT police swarmed the room, leveling guns at the two of them while their office in charge bellowed "FREEZE!"

She held up her hands slowly and said "Everything's under control officers, this is a Global Justice operation. I'm going to slowly get my ID out from my jacket and hand it to one of you, then your boss can call my boss while we all stay nice and calm."

One of the men, the one who'd yelled, jerked his gun. "Against the wall, keep your hands where I can see them. I don't care who you are or who you work for, Shego's got a warrant on her head in this country and I'm going to see justice is done."

He racked the slide on his shotgun for emphasis and she grimaced. These weren't cops, these were vigilantes with badges looking for some payback. She was just starting to consider her options when a voice, low, menacing, and lethal, screamed "Get away from my wife or I'll fucking butcher you all like goddamn pigs!"

She turned to look and Kim was standing on the bed, suddenly looking pristine except for her eyes, with roiling black flame writhing around her. She watched as the police spun, then tried to defend themselves against Kim's inhumanly ferocious attack. The no-hold-barred homicidal wrath of a wounded animal protecting it's mate.

Shego spun to help, but by the time she'd sorted out who was who all the cops were down and all that she could do was catch Kim as she collapsed, unconscious again. She looked at the carnage and then at her mother, who was already pulling out a phone.

"Ma'am, guess what. No, it's worse than that. I know, believe me. I need a clean up crew at the hotel room and I need someone to call the local police off before Kim kills any more of them. I also need a medivac for Kim to the nearest secured trauma facility because she's hurt badly. I know, I'll have all the details in my report. Right now I need to keep Shego from bolting and keep Ms. Possible alive."

Shego watched as her mother flipped her phone closed and looked at her. "What's going to be in my report? Was Kim hurt by the police while my Glitterbug and I were unable to get close enough to help thanks to her out of control powers, or what really happened?"

Shego grimaced "Option one. But I don't like the fact she's running around screaming I'm her wife."

Her mother chuckled. "I doubt Kim was actually conscious when she said that. C'mon, help me get her back on the bed before she bleeds out."

Shego jerked, then looked at Kim, finally noticing she'd been shot. She cursed and helped her mother get Kim re-situated, then helped her rip up bedding to improvise bandages and pressure packs. By the time a Global Justice medical team showed up, they had the blood stopped and most of her broken bones set and splinted.

Shego watched as the medics carted her off into a VTOL medicav craft and asked if she'd be okay. Her mother, next to her, smiled. "She'll be fine. I can see why people insist she's harder to kill than a cockroach."

* * *

Kim limped into Dr. Director's office and nodded, unable to salute for the moment. "At ease Kim. How do you feel?"

"I'm not sure the words exist to do it justice."

Dr. Director laughed and motioned to a chair in front of her desk. "I know just what you mean. Please sit, no need to stand there if it'll endanger your recovery."

Kim nodded and eased herself into the huge leather seat, then took a moment to relax. To the commanding officer of Global Justice, that said more than any medical report or orderly's opinion. Considering how badly injured Kim had been when the medics had shown up, it was amazing Kim was even awake, much less mobile to any degree.

"So, what happened? And don't tell me a squad of beat cops managed to hurt you like that, it's about as believable as getting a report your brothers are functional members of society."

"Honestly ma'am, I don't remember. The last thing clear in my head was talking to Shego, tryng to convince her it wasn't all a setup then boom, I wake up in medical looking like I was the target dummy for the world curbstomp competition."

"So you don't remember screaming death threats at police who were pointing weapons at your wife?"

Kim blushed. "Ah, no ma'am. I didn't seriously...?"

"Yeah, you did." Betty watched as Kim looked like her head was going to explode in emberassment and smiled. "Don't worry about it, no one knew who you were and the only people who do would be your wife and your mother in law." Betty grinned.

Kim blushed furiously and looked down. "I cant believe I...wait." She looked up at her boss and said "Keirghan is Shego's mother?! I thought Shego's mother was dead!"

"I'll leave it to Keighan to explain. Suffice it to say she did die, but some people just don't take well to being buried. Different topic. Do you think you can work with Shego? Keep your head on the job, not on your wife?"

"Could you please stop calling her my wife ma'am? It's...mean."

Betty smiled. "Oh, there've been a few developments Ms. Possible. You see, Shego might've been pardoned, but she wasn't liked. In fact a lot of people out there were quietly reinstating their kill/capture orders on her and we needed to give them a reason to back off. So, a bit of faked datawork, some behind the scenes PR, and maybe a bit of leaked evidence convinced people that going after Shego would be the absolutely worst idea they could possibly have."

"But..."

Betty smiled, enjoying the hell out of this. Kim had long deserved some kind of reward for the things she'd done in the past, and Shego had long equally deserved a swift boot to the ego for similar reasons. As solutions went it was sublime and Kim's look of confused happiness was making her month.

"So, agent Possible, go home to your wife and try not to do anything to upset Doctor Majiid."

Kim rolled her eyes and deadpanned "You mean the violently independant isolationst state of GJM? Thanks, but you couldn't pay me enough to so much as scuff their floors."

Kim wobbled to her feet, nodded, and said "I know what you're doing, and...thanks."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to sort out what to do about the situation in Mazakstan."

"The Red Poppy syndicate? Easy. Send in a team disguised as Hasaad Amiin regulars, burn their fields, then pull out and let them fight over it. Neither side would focus anywhere outside that valley and we can trace the increased supplies flow."

Betty looked at her, eyebrow high, and said "A rather ruthless, if effective solution."

"I know, and I hate it, but there are no clean solutions for some things. Sometimes the only real solution when you've got a couple idiots throwing their weight around is to convince them to throw it at each other."

"Oh, I totally agree and I think I'll go with your plan, I'm just surprised you can think like that."

"Yeah, well, some people don't take well to being buried."

Betty nodded and watched as Kim left. It seemed Kim was learning a few hard lessons ahead of schedule. Considering she'd died 9 times on the operating table before they'd finally gotten her stabilized, she could see how that might change one's thinking.


	2. Kim Possible - Shadowside Chapter 2

Kim Possible

Kim Possible, Shego, and related characters/locations belong to Walt Disney Studios. Kim Possible created by Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley. I make no claim over the Kim Possible series or anything in it and get no compensation for these stories. Original characters belong to me, not to be used without my express consent. Warning, story contains adult language and situations. If under 18 (For maturity reasons, there's more to 'adult' than bed games contrary to popular belief) please consider reading something else.

Original Story by ArielFetters

Chapter 2

Kim parked and leveraged herself out of her car, looking at the house she'd bought right after her 18th birthday. It was a sprawling ranch-style abode located on a decent sized plot of land no one had wanted because it was in the middle of nowhere. Figuratively speaking anyways. Middleton was about 30 minute's drive away, Upperton and Lowerton were 40, and Denver was a solid 35 minutes in the other direction.

_Which was exactly why I bought the place, _she mused, heading to her front door._ No one nearby to bother me, plenty of privacy, easy to spot intruders, and it's not a hotspot for alien invasions, super villain plots, or other insanity. _

She sighed, then stopped as she heard someone in her house grousing about the kitchen. She silently (Though clumsily thanks to her canes and still-painful injuries) stalked over to the kitchen window and spotted the intruder, currently rifling through her stockpiles of TV dinners and idiot proof foodstuffs with a disgusted scowl.

_Shego, just what I needed. Or should I call her Mrs. Possible now? Oh god, that makes me Mrs. Possible too! Gah! You're not actually married, no naughty honeymoon fantasies! _

After taking a few moments to regain her composure, she finally headed into her house and said "Normally it's considered rude to break into someone's house and complain about the food."

Shego looked up and snorted. "Some things never change. Still can't cook huh?"

"No, but I've had other problems. You know how it goes. Alien invasions, re-finishing highschool because someone 'Accidentally' burned down the records building, helping keep the world from self destructing while people try to salvage their lives and all the damned nut jobs pop outta the woodwork hoping to cash in."

"Yeah, well, thankfully I'm here now so problem solved. I'm donating all this crap to a shelter or something."

"Excuse me, but since when do you live here?"

"Married, remember princess? Momma decided I needed to move here to keep up appearances and to keep me out of trouble. Like I can't just _make_ some trouble anytime I feel like it." she grumbled.

"Yeah, I think that's what worries everyone." Kim noted dryly. Shego grinned at that and adopted an innocent face. "Why Miss Possible, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Kim coughed "Bullshit!" into her hand and Shego rolled her eyes. "Developing a foul mouth there Kimmy. Not that I disapprove, but you're not quite the same carefree kid I used to know."

"Like I said, after the invasion I buried myself in my work. Betty sent me on a few 'normal' missions to get me up to speed on the real world. No supervillains, no death rays or volcanoes, just plain old bad guys. I thought I knew what evil was but seeing a warehouse full of state of the art military weapons being sold to a bunch of bangers and a ship full of drugged-out children being traded for political favors, well, it can change your world view."

Shego grimaced. "Yeah, it can."

Kim nodded silently, then asked "How'd you get in anyways? The tweebs built the security system on this place."

"Easy. I asked for the keys. I'm Mrs. Possible after all." she noted sourly.

Kim grimaced and said "Shego, can I ask you a favor, please?"

"Depends on the favor."

"Don't call yourself Mrs. Possible unless you mean it. Not when it's just us. This whole fake marriage thing wasn't my idea and it makes me sick."

"So you don't want me to be Mrs. Possible then? Coulda fooled me, that kiss you laid on me..."

Kim waved her off, blushing furiously "I _do, _but not against your will or as part of some con job. So please, unless you mean it, don't say it."

Shego nodded silently, obviously unsure of how to field that one. After a minute she said "Look, I'm sorry for how I reacted at the hotel. You didn't deserve what I did to you."

"While I don't rememeber what that was, or that kiss, apology accepted."

Shego nodded, then frowned as Kim's cellphone went off. "Jeeze princess, find a new ringtone."

Kim shook her head while reaching for her phone. "That's the 'SHTF' alarm, something's wrong."

She flipped her phone over, listened for a second, then grimaced and said "What's the sich? Sure, just a sec." She set her phone against the microwave and tapped 'H-Dis' then hobbled back as a meter-tall hologram of Dr. Director appeared, with a man neither of them recoghnized standing next to her impassively.

"Kim, Shego, I have bad news, though to Shego it'll probably rank high on her good news list. Reaction to your pairing, and my intent to try to hire Shego didn't go as planned. I'd hoped by putting the two of you together people would see why they shouldn't go after either of you. Unfotunately they've decided that Shego, your influence will degrade Kim's moral center, and Kim, that you'll start operating on more real-world terms."

"Well, they're half right." Kim noted. "Now what? And who's the man with you?"

The man smiled and said "My name is Lord Alphonse Sanguinari. I occasionally work with Dr. Director on more exotic issues." His voice was cultured, smooth, effortlessly powerful without being loud. The voice of a real nobleman, not some puffed up jackass with an ornamental title.

Kim looked at Shego, who was unimpressed. Kim then looked back at him and said "I thought you were a myth."

He cocked his head to the side and said "Those few who know of me usually do. If I may ask, where did you hear of me?"

"Just after the Lowardian invasion I ran into Jack Hench in Morocco. He was buying a bunch of dual-purpose gear people were worried about. Instead of arresting him, I made him a deal."

Shego looked at her with a grin. "And people were worried about _me_ corrupting your goody-goody mentality? Looks like I'm late for the party."

Dr. Director nodded and added "Apparently we all are. What deal did you make Kim?"

"Easy. Jack's all about money. _The_ bottom line is his _only_ line. I pointed out how much a year he has to spend on medical for his people, mostly because of me, plus that with the world the way it was cops would shoot first and leave the questions to the forensics people. By then I was starting to realize the world's not as black and white, morally, as I thought, so I decided who better to get information from than him."

"You're the reason all Henchco goons switched to nonlethal weapons and are surrendering the moment things get out of hand?"

"That, plus I pointed out you can't run a stable business in a war zone, so if he played his cards right he could cut his overhead bigtime and earn some brownie points with the good guys by maybe being a bit more civic minded. After all, a lot of goons have solid craftsman skills so if he hired them out to people for construction purposes, again, lower overhead and no worries about the local cops."

Betty smiled and said "I was wondering why Jack was suddenly expanding his operations to more mainstream markets. Between that and his people's sudden interest in not fighting police he's become far less of a threat than he was, and because of that, so did most of the Supervillain community. What did you get in return?"

"Jack's entire non-client database."

Shego stared at her in stunned amazement, and even Dr. Director looked surprised. Lord Sangiunari chuckled and commented "An adept bit of work, and you managed it without compromising your ideals in the least. I can see why so many view you as a modern-day Paladin."

Shego recovered and exclaimed "His entire...do you have any idea what that's _worth_?! People would kill you for a _tenth_ of what's in those files!"

Dr. Director nodded and said "Which gives you leverage to stay free and clear. I take it those files were the reason for your sudden interest in joining GJ and facing more conventional adversaries?"

"Yeah. I know all I saw was the tip of the iceberg, but I have to do something. Supervillains hurt people sure, but some of the enemies I've faced in the last few months do a lot worse on a regular basis."

Shego looked at her and said "And mercs? How do you feel about mercs?"

Kim sighed. "Look, I won't say I like how mercs sometimes make their money, but there's a lot worse out there. Besides, if you don't like what a Merc's doing, you can solve the problem by hiring them yourself."

Shego blinked, surprised at Kim's reasoning, and Dr Director smiled. "Very true, and why some of the more problematic mercenaries in the world are on the GJ payroll as facility guards." Then she sighed and said "This is exactly what people were worried about however. You, becoming both more worldly and more able to face tough choices without losing your moral center."

Kim grimaced. "I'm fired, aren't I?"

"Officially, you're taking early retirement after injuries sustained in the field rendered you unable to do your job. However, Lord Sangiunari is hoping to hire you for tasks more suited to your emerging talents. Since he's so closely linked to various agencies, including GJ, you wouldn't be out in the cold, more like off to the side."

Kim nodded and looked to him. He smiled and said "The offer is quite simple. As you're beginning to learn there's more to the world than you, or most others, ever suspected. I'm hoping to hire the both of you as investigators. Mr. Load also, though he's stated his employment would hinge on yours. His words, not mine."

Shego perked up at the offer and said "Maybe. Payscale, perks, bennies?"

"Similar to Global Justice senior agents, though the pay is higher and the sole, but significant perk is that you're not, as I believe the term is, ghosted. As for benefits, also similar to on-station senior agents. You would also, pending purchase approval by myself, have access to an expense account."

Shego grinned. "Sounds like it's right up my alley." She looked to Kim and Kim was frowning in thought. After a few moments, Kim asked "What about lisences and legal powers? And more importantly, will we be safe from the alphabet agencies?"

He nodded. "They, and I, have an understanding, so yes, you would be safe from their interests. As for the rest, also similar to a senior agent. You are planning on carrying a firearm I take it?"

Kim nodded. "Continuing to do so, yes. Ever since the mission in South America I've been carrying a .40 J&D XMP."

He blinked and Shego stared at her. "You're packing?!"

Kim turned and lifted the back of her jacket, then dropped it back down and said "I'm a lot of things, but slow to learn's not one of 'em."

Dr. Director sighed, looking annoyed. "Understandable. If it's any consolation, the agent responsible for that fracas was retired."

Shego looked dubious and asked "Do I wanna know?"

Betty shook her head. "Most likely not, and you're not cleared for it anyways. So, Kim, your decision?"

"Can I have 24 hours to think on this?"

Lord Sangiunari nodded. "Of course Mrs. Possible. I have your number so say, 6 PM tomorrow, your time?"

Kim nodded. "That should work."

He smiled and offered a slight bow. "Of course. Until tomorrow then."

Kim nodded and the line went dead.

Shego pumped a fist and exclaimed happily. "Dream job here I come!" Kim however was far less pleased. In fact she looked like someone had just pissed in her tea. After a moment Shego said "Kim, you're free and clear of the federal rat race, get to keep all the perks, and you even got a raise. Hell, the cyclops even tossed you full retirement bennies. Not seeing a downside here."

"That's because you're thinking with your wallet, not your brain. Merc mentality Shego. An employer shows up offering a dream job. You've never heard of them before, and the only person you know who _has_ barely knows the man's name from one of the most expansive databases on extra-legal and illegal activity in the world. He's powerful enough to keep the FAA's off our case, and he's an old-school noble who's name means blood."

Shego saw where she was going with that line of thinking and her look soured. "Shit. I must be losing it not to have seen this coming a mile off. _Ten_ miles! Gah!"

Kim shrugged. "Consider who you've been hanging out with the last few years. Hanging out with Lipsky could drain the IQ points off a snail."

Shego stared at her for a moment, then guffawed. "Oh damn, that's so wrong it's right! You keep this up and I might actually like working with you."

"Ms. Go certainly didn't mind."

Shego's look soured. "Don't go there Kim, I was fucked up by that brain ray thingy." Kim shook her head. "No dice. I know how the thing worked so I know Ms. Go was you, just minus the anger, greed, and lack of self restraint."

"And as we both know I'm not greedy, pissed off, or suffering from an overabundance of self restraint." Shego retorted.

"If you were as greedy as you say you'd be in a different line of work. Pissed off I'll grant, but you have more self control than anyone I've ever met."

"Excuse me?! How d'you figure that last bit?!"

"Because if you weren't 100% in control, all the time, you'd be a walking inferno. We both know how powerful you are, so are you gonna try and tell me you don't have to fight to keep that under wraps? Let's not forget I saw the look on your face when you blew your stack in Buenos Aires that time."

Shego grimaced and fell silent. When Kim put it all like that it made her sound like some self sacrificing do-gooder. Finally she said "Okay, so maybe I'm strong on the whole mental discipline front. Doesn't make me a hero."

"Nope. Helping to save the world did though."

Shego glared at her and growled "You're really pushing it princess."

Kim sighed and said "Look. I'm not trying to turn you into a brunette version of me, just point out you're not as evil as you like to think."

Shego's annoyed grunt was her only response, and Kim said "All that aside, I'm going to sign on with Sanguinari. One, if he can do like he says and shield us from the FAA's, that means I and my family are free of everyone but him, instead of being under the thumb of everyone but him."

Shego nodded. "Not a small perk but like you said, he's a total unknown with a bad vibe." Kim nodded. "Exactly. Plus, he and everyone else is expecting me to be Mrs. Posssible, former teen heroine and proto-agent. Predictable as a sunrise and like he said, a Paladin. So, I'm not going to be her."

Shego grinned. "I like it. So who're you gonna be?"

Kim grinned. "I'm gonna be Mrs. Shego. Devious, sneaky, unpredictable, and with an eye on keeping my ass intact."

Shego laughed. "Even better! So, what's the plan? I know that look and it's always good for some Tai Kwan Leep action."

Kim looked at her dubiously, then chuckled. "Good thing my name's not Mrs. Gruberman then."

Shego laughed uproariously and Kim grinned, then said "All my stuff's built by the Tweebs. The Roth, better knows to many as the Sloth, foremost among it all. The problem is it's a teenager's car built by evil child geniuses. I've been planning on getting a replacement for it anyways so I'm thinking I go out, buy a car, and pay the best mechanic in the world a ton of money to turn it into a barely controllable monster."

Shego grinned again. "I'm liking this plan better by the minute. I know just the right people too. Take anything with wheels you wanna buy and cherry it out like you wouldn't believe."

Kim shook her head. "No. They'd be good, but conventional. I'm thinking a mad genius of mechanical engineering."

Shego blinked, then backed off, waving her hands and decrying "No! Hells no! Not only hells no, but fuck no!"

Kim sook her head. "I don't like it myself, but can you honestly tell me there's anyone better?" Shego grimaced and silently shook her head. There wasn't, but that didn't mean it wouldn't be the stuff of nightmare anyways.

Edward Lipski looked at his latest masterpiece and ran a greasy hand through his equally greasy mullet, grinning like a loon. "Score one for the Ed-Man! Wait'll the babes see the mullet cruisin down main with 3,000 horses under the hood and flames all up the sides! I am gonna SCORE TONIGHT!" he called out happily.

His rapidly forming air guitar solo cut off when a woman behind him said "Think you could put those plans on hold for 21 hours?"

He spun, spotting Kim and Shego standing right behind him. "Bodacious redhead babe! Super hot brinette chick! Ah man, don't go wailin on the mullet!"

Kim waved him off and discretely elbowed Shego to forestall any remarks. "Settle down Ed. We're not here to beat manners into you. I'm actually here to hire you."

He blinked, confused and not sure he wasn't suffering the aftereffects of some bad moonshine. "Uh, did you say hire me? And why're you double-stickin it? You look like a candidate for beatin of the week."

"Shego and I had a misunderstanding, I'm sure you can relate. But we're here because I want you to fix up my new car. You might be...odd, but you're the best mechanic in the world."

That got his attention. "Score one for the Ed-Man! Finally ditching that rebuilt junker huh? I can totally get that. So, uh, whaddya want?"

"I snagged and Idrazia 2013 GTSS on the cheap thanks to a government auction. I want you to take that beast and make it a legend. Armor, weapons, speed, maneuverability, you name it."

He grinned and after an all-too-pleased air guitar solo exclaimed "The Ed'ster's on it! 21 hours? Not a lot of time but you throw the dough and I'll make your new baby wail!" Another air guitar and Kim fought down the urge to either facepalm of palm his face. She instead handed him a briefcase full of cash. He opened it, stared, then snapped it closed and laughed maniacly, sounding far too much like his cousin Drew for comfort.

Shego parked the new Possible Family supercar and said "Okay, so _maaaybe_ going to Motor Ed wasn't a _totally_ stupid idea. Anyone less talented than me even _looks_ at the gas pedal on this thing and they'll wind up in a wall before they can blink. Speaking of blinking, where the blinkin hell'd you get that kinda cash?"

"Bounty checks, investments, my signing bonus from GJ, rewards from people I couldn't say no to. Parents put it all in a trust fund as I was growing up, got it all invested in low risk stocks. Technically I can't access it until I'm 21, but my parents agreed that upgrading a few things, especially with recent developments, was a good move. That's also how I paid for my property and house."

Shego nodded and Kim could see parental anything was a volatile topic for Shego. To cheer her up she changed the subject and said "Well, I'm glad my new car's up to the Green standard. How do you feel about doing most of the driving?"

Shego shot her a look that said she knew exactly what Kim was doing, then relented and smiled nonchalantly. "I could live with it. Frankly I don't think you could handle this thing. Not that you're a horrible driver, but you don't have the training or experience to handle this thing."

Kim smiled at that. "Well then I'll need to bug you for driving lessons. In our copious free time."

Shego snorted, then frowned. "Speaking of F-words, what the hell's FAA's mean? It doesn't sound like a term of endearment or like it has much to do with flying."

"Old slang Wade and I came up with a couple years ago. It means Frackin' Alphabet Agencies. A lot of the tech left after a Drakken, Amy, or Electronique mission was snapped up by DARPA, anything related to surveillance or computers was nabbed by the NSA, weapons systems, well, it'd turn into an on-site war between the DOD and DARPA, with the DOE making occasional guest appearances. Then of course the CIA and FBI would demand all of the data and records, so some times it'd get into a three way war between them and the would not _believe_ the number of secrecy oath forms I've been forced to sign over the years. Usually at gunpoint."

Shego winced. "Ouch. Another reason you went with GJ?"

"Yeah. Sure they're an extra-legal law enforcement agency, but they take care of their people and try to be a bit less heavy handed when possible."

Shego grunted noncomittaly, then said "We should get ready for Lord Sanguinari's call. People like him, those old world, old money types, they're fanatics about schedules. If you say you're gonna be at point X at time Y, then you'd damn well better be there on time, and by on time I mean to the second. Oh, and of course any clock discrepancies are your fault."

"No comment." Kim griped. She led Shego into the house and after a quick snack, setup her phone for a videoconference.

Exactly on time, just like Shego'd predicted, Kim's phone chimed. "Possible residence. Hello lord Sanguinari. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. That new car you bought is certainly a step up from your former mode of transport. I'd imagine Shego is quite taken with it."

Shego grinned and Kim chuckled. "She is sir. I replaced the Roth because we both agreed that it's a kid's car. I'm not a kid anymore, so I needed something a bit more professional.

"Indeed, though the Roth seemed quite capable in it's own right. You've considered my offer then?"

"We have, and we agree."

"Excellent! I took the liberty of preparing an office for you to work out of in Middleton. You will, I think, be amazed at the number of non-scientific oddities in your area. Mrs. Keighan will be expecting you both at 10 PM this evening. I'm sending you an Email with the address and security protocols. Mr. Load will be, as I gather is usual for him, commuting digitally."

Shego finally spoke and asked "How do you know my mother?"

He smiled but it wasn't an expression of amusement. It was sad, like he'd just seen an incredible but tragic opera. "I suspect she would prefer to tell that tale herself. Suffice it to say, I owe her a great debt I am hoping to repay, in part, by ensuring her daughter and daughter in law don't wind up wastrels or falling prey to former mistakes."

Shego blinked and Kim said with a smile "That sounds over my pay grade if anything ever did." He chuckled and nodded. "It is, though I think in this case the saying 'Ignorance is bliss' applies more than marginally. I fear I must go. As I'm sure you can understand, I am rather a bit busy."

"Of course sir. Good luck." He nodded and the line went dead.

Shego looked at her and groused. "The more I hear about momma the more worried I get. Not to mention the more questions I figure I should ask. I'm not liking this at all."

"Me either but remember Shego, I've always got your back, no matter who's after your backside."

Shego snorted and said "Looks like you've got your work cut out for you then. Well, we seem to have a couple hours to kill. I'm gonna head to my room and make a few calls. My finances are a mess and I need to un-tangle all of it since I don't need to hide most of it anymore."

Kim nodded and pulled out her Kimmunicator, then said "Call Wade." as Shego walked off. There was a chiming noise for a moment, then Wade's face appeared on the screen.

Ever since the invasion he'd been losing weight and working out. He wouldn't say why, but his house had been in one of the harder-hit areas of Middleton. He and his mother had almost been buried alive when part of her house had collapsed. Thankfully Wade had converted the basement into a bomb shelter so they'd been shaken, but unharmed.

"Wade, looking good man! What're you down to? 220?"

"211 actually, and I'm halfway to my BFI goal." He said with a smile. His expression turned serious after a moment and he said "I just got the Email from Sanguinari. You're gonna work for him?"

"Yeah. Not a lot of options at the moment and I gotta pay the bills somehow. Besides, I have a feeling he's not trying to use us, more like he's trying to keep people _from_ using us. Something to do with Shego's mother and an old debt."

"Makes sense. I've been doing some digging and while he's very good at covering his tracks, he's not quite able to cover them all. Your hunch about him not being entirely human's right. There's sparse records on him going back several hundred years in Britain, where he's the lord of a small but _very_ interesting province."

Kim grimaced but nodded. "Well, keep an eye on him. I don't like working for people I can't trust, and until he proves otherwise, I'm not trusting him more than I absolutely have to. You get the Roth yet?"

"It's already in my workshop getting rebuilt. Thanks KP, it makes me feel better having an escape vehicle in case something happens."

"Hey, you're my best friend. You need, you get, right?"

He nodded, then asked how things were going with Shego. "Better than expected, but we're not exactly spending long hours in Parisian cafe's making googly eyes at each other."

He chuckled and deadpanned. "Somehow I don't think Shego goes for that, but feel free to try."

Kim grinned, then was serious. "You finish the security checks on my car yet?"

"7 minutes ago. It's clean. Ed seems to be smart enough to realize if he tries to play you, both you and Shego'll try to set the world placekicker record with something besides a pressurized pigskin."

"Awesome. And my house?"

"I did a bit by bit analysis and the twins had the whole security system wired so they could spy on you, anytime, anywhere. Wound up redoing the entire OS from scratch and sent them a virus to teach 'em a lesson. As of 3 hours ago your house is secured better than the world bank gold depository."

"Awesome part 2. And that project you were talking about? You've been pretty sketchy on the details."

"Finished and ready to go. I'll show it to you tonight at the meet."

"You'll be there in person?"

He grinned. "Maybe."

She laughed, then said "You still rock Wade. See you at ten."

He nodded and hung up, leaving her to figure out what to do with an hour and a half of free time.

Shego spotted the warehouse up ahead and said "Left side, 2 blocks up." After a moment Kim nodded. "Got it."

Shego turned into the alley, then into the 1-truck loading dock behind it. Plenty of room for a car, even a top of the line European GT coupe. Kim looked at the center console display and said "5 minutes early. Should we wait?"

"Nah. People're usually okay if you're up to 15 minutes early. 5's usually good though, it shows you're eager to do whatever, but not frothing at the mouth to do it. C'mon, I've got a few questions for momma and I think it's high time I got a few answers."

Kim nodded and followed Shego to the back entrance, he canes clicking as she moved. Once to the door she let the it's retina scanner (Obviously built by Wade) clear them for entry. To her surprise, Wade was already there. He grinned and said "KP, Mrs. KP."

Shego shot him a nasty look and groweled "Watch it nerdlinger. There's more than a video screen for me to punch."

He grinned. "Not exactly."

Kim stared as Wade seemed to grow transparent for a moment, then re-solidify. Shego was silent a moment, then groused "I give up. I need to start hanging out with people who don't know the difference between Plasma TV's and Plasma guns."

Kim chuckled at that, then looked to her large friend. "That's Lowardian hard-holo tech right? You salvaged a few things?"

"Yep. I mean seriously, with all their junk just laying about I'd have been a total idiot not to pass up the opportunity. The Field Unit's got solid light systems, sensors, a Bi-Directional neural interface, all the goodies I need for field work without me needing to actually go out into the field. I'm hoping this'll have the side effect of helping me get over my Agoraphobia."

"Wade, I know I say this about a dozen times a week, but you rock. Seriously."

He grinned and said, not so humbly "I know." Then his expression sobered and he said "Mrs. Keighan's in the main room. Interesting lady. Did some more digging but she's promising to lay it all out on the table for you two."

Shego nodded and said "Good, because I'm not huge on mysteries, especially familial ones. Do my brothers know she's still alive?"

"Not as far as I can tell, and from the sensor readings I got I'm not sure she _is_ alive. Like I said, she promised to explain."

Shego nodded and brushed past him to the warehouse's main room, where she spotted her mother setting out drinks. Coffee and butter-laden english muffins, just like Shego remembered her parents having anytime they were going to have a serious discussion about something. The kind where nosy little brunettes weren't invited.

Mrs. Keighan spotted her, smiled tightly, and said "Grab a seat, it's time we all got up to speed on who's who and what's what, as well as why we're here."

Shego flopped into the recliner and said "Okay momma, spill. You know me so you know I'm not huge on not knowing what's going on."

Her mother eyed her dubiously and said "Just because you're an adult doesn't mean you get to be impolite young woman. And I'll thank you to sit, not slouch." Kim hid a smirk as Shego automatically complied, then scowled at the both of them.

Kim grinned after a moment and asked impishly "Momma's girl huh?"

Shego glared at her and groweled "Not one word Kimmie. Not. One. Word."

Keighan chuckled and said "Yes, she was. Straight A's in school, crammed more into a day than most people did in a week, and when she met Alia she somehow managed to add in teen romance without slowing down a bit."

Shego's distinctly unhappy wail of "Mooom!" set them both to laughing, at least until Keighan sighed and sat down on the couch. "Kim, if you would?" Kim sat on the other end of the couch and Keighan nodded.

"Now, before we start, I'm setting down some ground rules. These rules apply to me too, so don't think I'm trying to preach what I don't practice. One, no lies. If you don't wanna say something, then say so, but don't lie, even to preserve someone's feelings. Second, real names, not code names. Kim's Kimberly Anne Possible, I'm Anastasia Godiva, and you, young woman" She said, eyeing the suddenly nervous-looking Shego, "Are Dominique Godiva."

Kim kept her mouth shut and Anastasia said "So, Initially I was called in because Kim was starting to display possible superhuman abilities. Or, more accurately, she'd long been displaying them for a while but no one, her included, had caught on. Her ability to dodge energy weapons fire, fight 1-1 with a fairly high powered metahuman, strategize, and observe her surroundings in detail, not to mention flirt on the fly, all at once, just isn't possible for a normal human. Any one of those would be tough, but all at once? No, not possible."

Kim blinked, then said "I couldn't have been that special. I mean sure, fighting, uh, Dominique wasn't exactly a walk in the park, but..."

Shego interjected "No, she's right princess. I've watched video of our fights and it always threw me how you'd be multitasking while dodging plasma, kicks, punches, and everythng else I threw at you. Always pissed me off because I thought you were taking it easy on me. Like I wasn't important or dangerous enough to warrant your undivided attention. Plus you'd occasionally pop out with absolute weirdness."

"Uh, I did?" was Kim's confused reply.

"Yeah, you did. Remember when I attacked you and the buffoon in Copenhagen? You used a dinner plate to block my plasma blasts. Not just that, but bounce them into the air where they'd be harmless. And that jump you made in Zimbabwe! I thought you had on rocket boots or something! I barely made that jump and it took everything I had. You did it and made it look easy!"

Kim looked at her, more confused by the moment, and Anastasia said "Exactly. People started noticing stuff like that, and they started asking how, why, and if they could duplicate such abilities."

Kim grimaced and said "That explains the frequent 'medical tests' anytime I went in and out of a country. GJ staffers would turn me into a pincushion and nuke me ten ways from sunday, claiming medical security issues. Always had some horror story about a local disease or virus they were checking for to justify it."

"Exactly. You've been an unwiting, and now unwilling, participant in the Prometheus program. The Cyclops suspects, but until she can prove 100% that you're being DNA raped she can't afford to make a move. One screwup, and by the time she can force their hand all the evidence would be gone and they'd have some brand spanking new security directive to hide behind."

Kim was staring at her and she sighed. "I know, believe me. When I was out there and active for the other side, they did the same crap to me. The only diffference being people knew I was abnormal from the start."

Shego declared pointedly "Please, do tell."

Anastasia sighed, then nodded. "Before I met Marik I'd been, well, a supervillain. One of the first generation of serious world-spanning class A's. The name I went by back then was Lady Blackfire. But when a screwed up mission nearly triggered a world war, I decided maybe it was time to retire. Changed my name, settled down, got a job with a reputable company, and eventually ran into Marik while I was in Greece on business. I know it seems corny, but it was love at first sight. Like it was for you and Alia Dominique."

Shego grimaced again, but Kim was staring. "_You_ were Lady Blackfire?! You...Is Shego going to age like you?"

Anastasia chuckled and said "Actually she'll probably be even longer lived. Marik turned out to be just as odd, if much more discrete, than I was."

Shego shook her head. "I can't believe this. I mean..."

Kim recognized the disbelieving, unhappy, and progressively furious look on Shego's face and said "Shego, remember what you told me that time in Saigon?"

Shego blinked, interrupted mid-thought, then grimaced and nodded. Kim had been hyper-violently enraged for some reason and had been tearing the local gangs apart like a pint sized redheaded thresher. The gangs and triads in Saigon were _still_ terrified Kim might make a return performance.

"Okay, so maybe you've got a point." She grumbled. Kim nodded and fought down the urge to go over and try to show some kind of support. If she did she had even odds of Shego trying to give her plasma-powered dental work.

Anastasia saw and shook her head slightly, then said "I raised our children to not repeat the mistakes I'd made, and I'd been proud, oh so proud of you glitterbug. You were everyting a mother could hope for in a daughter. Then the damned meteor hit."

Shego grimaced, then said "Yeah. And it killed you momma. I held you in my arms and watched you die! I was helpless! Then Alia gets butchered when I can't help her either! I couldn't do anything but watch the house she was in burn to ash with her in it! You wanna know why I went bad? _That's_ why!"

Kim winced. That could break anyone. Anastasia shook her head and said "No baby. Alia didn't die because of you. She died because people didn't do their jobs. Because evil men were mad that good people wouldn't just lay down and die to fatten their wallets. She'd be the first to tell you she'n never have blamed you for what happened."

"Do you think that matters?! She's DEAD momma! And so's the girl who loved her!"

"The girl who loved her was my daughter. She was my hope, my legacy. If you're not her, then I'm not your momma."

Kim flinched as Shego's expression shifted from rage to that of a kicked puppy. She finally got up and walked over, then knelt in front of Shego and said "Shego, you have to forgive yourself for being human."

Shego looked at her, cold rage glittering in her eyes nearly as bright at the pain Kim could also see. "Human?! I'm a freak! I'm fucking green, I heal like a goddamn comic book character, I shoot fire from my hands, and I can't touch anyone! Do you think I wear gloves all the time for _fun_?! After Alia died I couldn't..."

Kim responded by taking Shego's hands and pulling off one of her gloves. Shego watched her, a mix of terror and disbelief winged with a bare glimmer of hope, as Kim laid that hand against her cheek and smiled. They both could smell Kim's face cooking but Kim just kept smiling at her and said "I'll never be afraid of you Dominique. I'll never turn from you or abandon you."

Then she grinned and kissed Shego's hand, ignoring the pain as her lips burned. "Besides, you know me. I'm harder to kill than a New York subway rat."

Shego barked a laugh and pulled her hand back. "Ain't that the truth. Gimmie my glove back, I need to get the medkit." Kim nodded and did so, then returned to her spot on the couch and did her best to ignore the fact part of her face had just been deep fried. Instead she focused on the look she'd seen on Shego's face. Sure there'd been fear, but behind that there'd been concern for her, and hope, for the both of them.

Next to her she heard Anastasia's pleased whisper of "Normally a mother worries about her daughter's suitors. I'm not, I'm more worried about grandkids."

Kim blushed and didn't respond. But she did dare to dream.

Author's Note: Wow, I had no idea people would like my work so much! Thanks for the follows and the fav's :D I hope this chapter answered some of the questions people have, I'm trying to add in enough information to keep things moving without confusion, but not so much it turns into an info dump or encyclopedia entry.

Next chapter, a bit more back story, Kim takes her first steps into a bigger world, and Wade watches a live sex show!


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